Paratyphoid fever

Statutory notification

• Paratyphoid fever is a notifiable infectious disease in Western Australia.
• Alert: cases must be reported urgently by telephone to the public health units (Healthy WA) within a few hours of first suspicion of diagnosis.
• See notifiable communicable disease case definitions (Word 1.29MB).
• Notifications should be made using the communicable disease notification form for metropolitan residents (PDF 209KB) or regional residents (PDF 208KB).
• For notification of regional residents see contact details of public health units.
• See also description of statutory medical notifications in Western Australia.

Public health summary

• Infectious agent: Salmonella enterica serovars Paratyphi A, Paratyphi B, and Paratyphi C.
• Transmission: Faecal-oral, food-borne and water-borne.
• Incubation period: From 1 to 10 days.
• Infectious period: Most infectious while symptomatic. Patients are infectious for as long as bacteria appear in faeces, usually from the first week throughout convalescence (commonly 1-2 weeks). Both treated and untreated patients can become chronic carriers. Use contact transmission- based precautions for hospitalised and institutionalised patients.
• Case exclusion: Until asymptomatic, including normal stools, for 24 hours. If patient works in health-care, aged-care, child-care or is a food handler or attends child-care, exclude until clearance specimens have been completed. See Guidelines for Exclusion of People with Enteric Diseases and their Contacts (PDF 764KB).
• Contact exclusion: If a contact had a similar exposure to that of the case and works in health-care, aged-care, child-care or is a food handler or attends child-care, exclude until clearance specimens have been completed. See Guidelines for Exclusion of People with Enteric Diseases and their Contacts (PDF 764KB).
• Treatment: Oral rehydration and antibiotic treatment as recommended by the doctor.
• Immunisation: None available.
• Case follow-up: Cases followed up by the public health units (Healthy WA) with assistance from the Communicable Disease Control Directorate.

Guidelines for public health units

• OD 0490/14 Public Health Follow-up of Sporadic Enteric Disease Notifications
• Guidelines for Exclusion of People with Enteric Diseases and their Contacts (PDF 764KB) 
• Communicable Disease Guidelines, for teachers, child care workers, local government authorities and medical practitioners
• Typhoid and paratyphoid, CDNA National Guidelines for Public Health Units (external site)

Notifiable disease data and reports

• Notifiable infectious disease dashboard
• General infectious disease reports